In case you haven't noticed I have a penchant for changing themes. I don't feel I do it excessively but I do like a new change of clothes now and then. I have purchased themes from all of the major players in the WordPress themes market such as StudioPress, WooThemes and iThemes. In fact the design that previously adorned this site was a heavily customized StudioPress theme called Corporate. (no those aren't affiliate links) I say heavily customized because I did a lot of work behind the scenes in addition to changing the appearance. I created new Page Templates, incorporated custom loops and added various new functionality via the functions.php file among other things. Below is a screenshot of what this site looked like with Corporate.
With all of the various themes I've gone through I'd have to say that Corporate was my personal favourite, so much so that I couldn't imagine myself changing it for something else especially after the amount of work I put into it. That is until Leland of ThemeLab fame entered the picture.
In addition to running ThemeLab, which happens to be one of my favourite WordPress-specific sites, Leland also operates a design studio called CustomTheme which creates ... you guessed it ... custom WordPress themes.
Anyway, I was chatting with Leland one day and he generously offered to create a theme for WordPress Canada. How could I say no? The result is what you now see before you.
The design is splendid! The theme looks great and the header graphic is awesome. Under the hood the code that runs everything is lean and mean.
I'm still working on a few minor points but for the most part the design is exactly where I want it to be. Of course with the re-design I've been moving things around so if something appears out of place (ie: I inadvertently broke it) please let me know.
I think the thing that impressed me the most about this whole process was CustomTheme's ability to anticipate exactly what I wanted. During my chat with Leland I briefly described what I like in a theme and they went to work. They showed me a few updates during the process and they were right on track!
Overall I have to say I am extremely pleased both with the design process and the final product. I know I sound a bit giddy because I'm excited but seriously, if you're thinking about getting a custom design for your blog do pay CustomTheme a visit. You won't regret it - I don't.
About Len Kutchma
WOW, this theme rocks, Len! Stick with this one, will ya?
.-= James Fisher´s last blog ..Monday Morning Blog Review =-.
I know that at times I can be fickle but this one is a keeper!
Hey Len, it's great to see the design live. Really glad you like it!
.-= Leland´s last blog ..Blogwave Blog Theme Released =-.
I love it Leland! Great work.
omg loving the design.
Gota say thats one freaking good lucking maple leaf.
Gratz to the guys from Custom Themes!
Hi Omar! I'm sounding like a broken record but I really love it.
I'm happy with my Flexx Professional theme (that I won here at WPCanada), but I would like to see what they could do for my site.
.-= James Fisher´s last blog ..One Day Only: Get WinPatrol Plus for 99 Cents! =-.
You should take a look at their portfolio. Also, Leland runs ThemeLab which holds a considerable number of free themes. You can get a sense of the quality by perusing them.
The free themes are nice, but none that I would trade my Flexx theme for...it would be nice to have a custom theme designed, I just don't have the $$.
.-= James Fisher´s last blog ..One Day Only: Get WinPatrol Plus for 99 Cents! =-.
What I meant was when you peruse the free themes offered by ThemeLab you can see the quality that goes into them which gives you a sense of what to expect.
Yes, I agree Len..the quality is great.
.-= James Fisher´s last blog ..Decluttering Your Desktop =-.
Hi Len,
What a really good looking theme you have here! And I think red is now the official color for WPCanada,
Len, do you have Facebook profile? If yes then I'd suggest you to create your own Fan Page. It's one of the best way to build your brand awareness.
Amirul Faisyal
.-= Amirul Faisyal´s last blog ..We Are Recruiting Beta Tester and Support Forum Team! =-.
Hi Amirul. Although personally my favourite colour is blue, red is the predominant colour of our flag hence the decision to use it.
Facebook fan page. What an interesting idea. Thanks for that.